Another Year in the Life
by ale-la-pazza1
Summary: so this is basically a fix-it fic after the revival (it used to be called emotions), it explores RL lives after the discovery of their pregnancy during the course of a year, focusing on key moments during each season. I wanna thank LadyScarlet12 for her work as my beta, you rock! Feedbacks are always appreciated
1. Prologue

It's been three days since Logan returned to London after saying goodbye to Rory. Three days filled with silence, bitterness but most of all filled with regret, a sensation unfamiliar to him; his whole life had been one giant 'live your life like you want' motto and yet now he was experiencing regret. He regret refusing that ridiculous engagement to Odette, he regret the decision to follow in his father footsteps but most of all he regret leaving Rory when he didn't want to, when he still loved her so much. He hated this feeling, it felt all consuming and he felt so tired, like he had lived 100 years instead of the 35 he actually had, he was praying this sensation would soon leave him but he had a feeling it wouldn't be so easy.

His train of thoughts stopped when he heard the door opening and Odette came through it with a million shopping bags hanging from her arms.

"Logan, you're back!", she greeted him warmly.

He couldn't bring himself to respond with the same warmth, not when he felt so little when he looked at her and knew about all her Parisian 'friends', "Yeah, I got here a couple days ago. Have you been in Paris all this time?"

She actually blushed at the mentioned of Paris and he could easily imagine why: neither of them were that good of actors when it came to hiding their true feelings, "I've been catching up with some friends and enjoyed a little bit of shopping. How is the rest of the Life&Death brigade? Still wasting their money on booze?"

The mere mention of the brigade felt like a slap in the face because he had always associated it with Rory, amazing, wonderful, and so far away Rory. His heart hurt so much. He looked at Odette and realized that this was his life now: not the life he wanted but the life his family forced on him. And then suddenly it was all too much to bear and he just said the words he hadn't had the courage to say before.

"Odette, I don't want to marry you."

His words definitely surprised her because she let go of the sweater she had been pulling from one of her bags, "What did you just say?"

He calmly repeated himself, "I said that I don't want to marry you. I want out."

She sat next to him on the couch and took a deep breath before saying firmly "Logan, this engagement has been established for a very long time, our families gave their blessings and we're going through with it."

Her words only angered him further, "Our families didn't give us their 'blessing', they forced us into this and I don't want it anymore. I don't love you. I tried, I just can't."

If this was news to Odette her face didn't show it, "Logan, are you really prepared to walk away from it all? Because breaking this engagement means walking away from your family, do you realize that?"

He simply nodded. Rory's smile passed through his mind and he knew, he just knew what he had to do.

"I do and I'm ready to face all the consequences that will come from this decision."

"Well, then, I can only wish you good luck and I hope you find what makes you already happy, if you haven't already found it", she said smiling to him before adding, "I don't love you in that way too, but I wish you all the happiness."

"Will you be okay?", he asked.

"Paris will glad to have me back, it will take care of me" she said before kissing him on the cheek and leaving in the same dazzling way she came in.  
He felt so much lighter and years and years younger but most of all he felt finally free. He wanted and needed to do so many things but he couldn't decide what to do first: he thought about calling Rory but the phone felt to impersonal for communicating such a monumental decision. No, he would tell her in person.

He grabbed his laptop and started looking for flights back to the States, the sooner the better; funnily enough his suitcase was still ready, like a part of him knew this would happen.

He took the suitcase and left, saying goodbye to London.

His flight was long, too long for his taste, he was starting to get impatient, he couldn't wait to see Rory, to hold her, kiss her and just be with her. He briefly composed an email for his dad explained that he broke off his engagement and that he wouldn't work for him anymore and then turned off the phone because he wasn't the slightest interested in his reply.

He rented a car and drove right to Stars Hollow, using the time to prepare his speech to Rory, he wanted to say the right things and be sure she'd understand; he was passing through the town's square when he saw her.

She was sitting under the gazebo, looking lost in her thoughts, he felt his heart stop, she was so beautiful but she looked kinda sad, he could only hope he wasn't a factor in that sadness.

He parked the car and started walking toward her, she still hadn't noticed him when he spoke.

"Hey, Ace."

Her head tipped upwards and she leapt from where she was sitting right into his arms.

The hug seemed to go on forever when she eventually let go, "What are you doing here?"

"I just come to tell you something."

"And you couldn't call?", she asked with a hint of skepticism in her voice.

"This is a 'face-to-face' kinda news".

She didn't add anything but nodded to let him know to continue talking.

"I broke off my engagement."

Rory looked shocked, really shocked and then out of the blue she started to laugh and cry at the same time. Logan took her face into his hands and gently wiped away her tears.

"I love you, Ace. I waited way too long to tell you that or leave Odette but now I'm here and I'm yours…if you'll have me."

She laughed even harder and he looked at her with a quizzical look on his face.

"It's funny you that you mentioned 'face-to-face' news because I've one of those myself", she took a deep breath and then added "I'm pregnant."

He wasn't expecting that news at all but it was the best news he had ever heard. He picked her up and started twirling her while laughing like they were the only happy people on the planet. And the  
she kissed him and he felt such a rush of joy. After the first kiss, there was a second one and then a third and then he got tired of counting.


	2. Winter

That winter felt different than last year's, Logan saw magic and joy everywhere: in the eyes of the children writing their letters to Santa, in the laughs of young lovers kissing under the mistletoe, in the singing of the carolers going from house to house. Or maybe it was different because he was finally happy.

After finally leaving Odette and the Huntzberger destiny behind him, he was now focusing on the things and people that really mattered to him: Rory and the baby she was expecting. It still felt so unreal the thought that he was gonna be a father but it wasn't a scary one. He felt ready and most of all it felt right, no matter what his father tried to imply.

The months following his reunion with Rory were among the busiest of his life. They talked about how to best approach their situation and how it would go from there; the first thing they decided was not to get married right away, it'd send everyone the wrong message, like they'd do it because of the baby and not because they truly wanted it.

The second thing they agreed on was to relocate their future family, Rory loved Stars Hollow with all her heart but she asked for a fresh start for them and he was more than willing to grant her wish. So in the end they decided to try that apartment in Queens that Rory once mentioned to Lorelai.

Another big decision they faced was what to do about money and work since Rory was still intentioned to write her "Gilmore Girls" book now that she felt inspired and he was jobless since walking away from his father's company. The answer to that particular dilemma came in the form of Richard Gilmore. The Gilmore patriarch was so through that before his death he had set aside a certain sum of money to be destined to his granddaughter's future family and Rory decided to invest it in Logan and his idea for a start up company.

Time seemed to have flown by and before he knew it Christmas was already here. For their first Christmas back together they decided to host the annual dinner in their new apartment, not a small task considering that neither of them was that good of a cook but still Logan felt it was good to start new traditions.

Rory's family arrived in the early afternoon and as soon as they got there Luke took over the actual cooking while Emily kept going over each room and listing every item they should add to their apartment since it was so 'minimalistic I'm surprised you even have doors' driving Lorelai so crazy she actually volunteered to help Luke cook, something short of a miracle.

Logan and Rory were setting the table when he said, "Are you sure we shouldn't have told about the baby before?"

"Yes, it's better like this, I mean did you see how many days it took Luke to finally realize I was really back with you?"

"You're right, and I don't think I'll easily forget the decibels your grandma reached when you told her over the phone", he replied with a quick kiss on her cheek.

They were suddenly interrupted by Lorelai and Luke bringing all kinds of food imaginable to the table, quickly followed by Emily who was still muttering something about lamps and chairs. They all sat down together and started eating the delicious food Luke cooked for them.

After the first round, Rory grabbed Logan's hand under the table and squeezed it tight, he quickly realized that she needed reassurance about telling everyone the news so squeezed her hand right back. Lorelai keep looking between both of them with a devilish look in her eyes proving she was clearly onto them and looking forward to what was gonna happen next.

Rory cleared her throat just as her mother suddenly pulled out her cellphone and started filming the scene in front of her.  
"Grandma, Luke, there's something Logan and I have wanted to tell you for some time but we decided to wait till Christmas because we felt like it's kinda like a gift, you know unexpected but still appreciated and you know how the holidays make everything more magic…"

Her rant is suddenly interrupted by Emily's eager question, "Rory, are you trying to tell us what I think you're telling us?"

She nodded with a huge smile on her face, one exactly mirrored on Logan's face. Emily all but leapt out of her chair and went straight to hug the young couple. Luke was a little loss for words, mostly of all he was very confused, Rory's train of words got hijacked by Emily and he was left wondering.

"Wait, what's going on? What's happened?" he kept asking his wife who wouldn't reply to him but simply kept filming him while laughing.

Rory put him out of his misery, "I'm pregnant, Luke. Logan and I are gonna be parents."

Shock was all over his face, rapidly followed by a huge smile, "Wait, I'm gonna be a grandpa?"

Lorelai was quick to tease him, "Yes, we'll have the baby call you Grumpy Grandpa, it's gonna be hilarious."

Emily hadn't stopped hugging Logan and Rory, she was beside herself from happiness, "Your baby is just gonna be the cutest baby ever, I can just imagine him, all blonde hair and blue eyes."

Eventually her hug ended and she went back to her place with a somber look on her face, "I've never told you this but the first time you brought this boy home your grandfather and I joked about how your kids would look like. I know in my heart that if he were here he'd tell himself how happy this news would make him."

Emily's words left Rory and Lorelai with misty eyes but they didn't damper the happy sentiment of joy that was in the air. Time healed all the wounds and time would eventually heal the scars left by Richard Gilmore passing.

"Thank you, grandma, it means a lot to me hearing that, I miss grandpa everyday and I can promise you that I'll tell this baby all about him so it will be like he was here with us."

Lorelai eventually grew tired of filming the table so she turned off her phone and said, "So can we expect Lorelai the third? Or wait isn't it the four? You know I kinda forgot grams for a second, you know with her being called Trix and all that—"

Rory shook her head vigorously, "No, I don't think the world is ready for another Lorelai quite yet. We haven't ever starting discussing baby names actually."

"We don't even know if it's a girl", Logan added.

"It's a girl", Emily proclaimed with so much certainty that Logan actually wondered if she had suddenly developed X-ray vision and could see right through Rory's stomach.

Lorelai decided to change the subject by asking Rory a thousand questions all together "Hey, are you craving apples yet? When I was pregnant with you all I wanted was apples, disgusting. On a scale from slightly tipsy to getting wasted like there's no tomorrow how is your morning sickness? Tell me Logan is on your beck and call, is he getting up at 4am to get you doughnuts and pop-tarts?"

Those questions would have been too much for someone else but Rory was answering them just as fast as Lorelai had asked them, "No, I'm not, I skipped apples and went straight to vegetables, I barely recognize myself in the mirror. I'd say my morning sickness is somewhere along bachelorette party, enough to bother me, not enough that I can't go on my mornings as usual. Logan is behaving like a pro, before I even ask him something he has already got me ten thousand more."  
"Okay, so now that we're all up to speed, how about we keep eating before it gets old?", Luke asked grabbing clean plates for everyone so they could start the second round.

Instead of replying, they all accepted the clean plates and started to fill them with more food and they quietly ate it, enjoying that day together in a serene atmosphere, filled with family, love and joy.


	3. Spring

That spring was something else for Logan, every new plant would make him smile, every time a light breeze would pass through his hair he couldn't help but feel as light as the air around him, every ray of sunshine shining on his face would remind him how bright his life was now.

He felt like he had barely passed Christmas and yet spring was manifesting in its full glory, the months that had passed had provided some sort of new normal for him and Rory: they survived the first trimester, with all the morning sicknesses that took a toll on Rory, they passed most of the creative cravings that required leaving the bed at 2 am to make a chocolate-strawberry and jelly sandwich and most important of all they finally discovered the sex of the baby.

The mere memory of that event served as a reminder to never bet against Emily Gilmore, the old matriarch was right on her money: the new addition in their family would be a little baby girl and Logan couldn't be more thrilled. Not that he wouldn't have loved a son, but there was something about the thought of a mini-Rory that just pulled at his heartstring, and besides there was always time for a boy in the future.

Since finding out about the sex of the baby they've tried to put off picking a name but that day felt like the right one to start approaching the subject at the very least.

"I know we've time Logan but we should start sometime and no time like the present, no?", Rory asked sitting on the couch with a book about baby names.

Logan shut down his laptop after a long day working and took place next to his girlfriend, "So we're gonna randomly open this book and pick a name?"

"Not a chance, we're not naming our baby so randomly, we need to pick a letter first then read all the names available for that letter and when we've done that we can actually decide."

"At this rate we're either gonna call her baby girl all her life or she's gonna pick her own name when she gives birth to our grandkids", Logan joked opening the book to a random page.

Rory quickly took back her book and shut it, "Really, Logan? Talking about grandkids already? She's not even born! That's not that funny at all."

He managed to reply her with a straight face, "Okay, I promise to never joke again about our future family, scout's honor."

Rory couldn't help but laugh anyway before turning all serious back again, "First order of business: last name."

Logan was kinda surprised by this topic, he somehow had assumed Rory was always gonna give the baby the Gilmore name, he didn't even expect her to want to discuss this at all.

Seeing Logan as a loss for words she added, "I was thinking we should hyphenate."

"As in Huntzberger-Gilmore?".

Rory shook her head, "Gilmore-Huntzberger. It's only fair since I plan on using the same last name once we're married if you're okay with it."

Logan couldn't reply for a moment, he was completely overwhelmed by his love for Rory so he hugged her so tight he wasn't sure if he could tell where he ended and where she began.

"I'd be honored if you wanted my last name associated with yours. Are you sure you want it? This name can be like a noose around your neck."

"It's your name, it can't be all that bad", she told him before indulging in a long kiss.

Eventually they pulled apart and focused their attention on the task at end, Logan took the book from Rory again and opened it to the letter 'L'.

"Since we've settled the last name, I think it's time to set the first name as well."

"I thought we nixed Lorelai, I want my daughter to have a name different from mine", Rory said looking at the page Logan had chosen.

"No, I know I was just thinking we could pick a name that starts with 'L' to begin a new family tradition since both our names start with that letter, so in a way it would honor both of us", Logan explained with a hint of shyness on his face.

"It's perfect, I love your idea", Rory reassured him before adding, "So let's find our baby's name."

They took turn reading the pages, both writing down their favorite names to compare and discuss later, when Logan finished the last 'L' page, he closed the book and they both pulled out their lists.

"Ace, don't tell me we're gonna do a pro-con list for each name we liked because it'd drive us insane."

Rory mocked offense at his comment and proceeded to read the first name of her list, "I'm just gonna pretend you didn't just insulted my beloved pro-con lists and I'm pitching my first idea for a name: Lily."

Logan vigorously shook his head, "We're naming a baby, not a flower. It's a no for me."

"Like you could do better", Rory dared him.

"I accept you challenge and I present you Lucille", he proudly announced.

She all but scoffed, "We're raising a well rounded human being not a future snob. It's a no for me and before you can even try to propose a shorter version it's a no for Lucy too."

They both cancelled those names from their respective lists before proceeding to the next round.

"I can't wait to see what's the next name you chose for your list, Ace."

"Lana", she announced proudly.

"As in Lana Lang?" he asked skeptically.

"Yes, it's a beautiful name and it works with the hyphenated last name", Rory argued.

"I am not feeling it, I think I've to vote no. What about Lyla instead?"

"I don't like it and before you dare to suggest another version I'm gonna veto Lila too."

Logan sighed, he feared they would never find that perfect name that they both liked, he cancelled the votoed names from the list and then started the next round.

"Okay so no Lyla, but how do you feel about Leilani?"

"Absolutely not Logan, I just can't imagine calling our baby Leilani", Rory affirmed, she took another look at her list and she sighed. Logan could tell she was as worried as he was about the name, so he tried to reassure her with a hug that seemed to be exactly what they needed to escape the stress.

Eventually she broke the silence, "How many names are left on you list? Because I've only one left."

"Same here. What do you say we exchange the list and each read the other's choice?", Logan offered with his trademark smile and a hand.

She took his hand and shook it. "Deal", she said before taking his list and offering hers. He quickly took it and read the name Rory picked: he couldn't believe it, they picked the same name, at last.

Rory must have read his choice because she gave him a huge smile before announcing their daughter's name, "Laurel Gilmore-Huntzberger."

Yes, to Logan's ears it sounded exactly perfect.


	4. Summer

**Summer**

That summer was one of the longest and hottest in Logan's life, it seemed to last so much more than it actually did. It surely didn't help that Rory's pregnancy was finally taking its toll on her.

Every day she struggled more and more with tasks that used to be among the easiest ones for her prompting some midday meltdown worthy of one of the tv show she loved so much.

Logan did everything he could to make these last months easier on her: he started to work at home so he could help Rory, even when she insisted she didn't need any help; he tried to have Lorelai over when he couldn't be around so she could keep her daughter company and help her plan their wedding, and for every pound Rory gained he never failed to tell her how beautiful she was.

That particular day was one of the hottest to date, Logan could practically feel his skin melt, he could only wonder what his poor fiancee was feeling. He tore himself from his laptop to sneak a peek at Rory and Lorelai, one furiously writing down things on her laptop and the other using a fan on both of them in an attempt to cool off.

This feeling of domestic bliss still took him by surprise, even if so many months had passed since his life drastically changed for the better, it was an intoxicating feeling, one he could easily get lost into.

A pierced scream broke the stillness in the room; he immediately jumped to the source of the interruption.

"Rory, are you okay? What's wrong? Talk to me."

She barely had the time to shake her head that Lorelai was already filling in the gaps, "Her water broke. I recognized the scream, it's one of a kind, like seriously it should come with its own trademark —"

Logan quickly interrupted her, "We need to get to the hospital. There's no need to worry, everything's ready, we're ready, okay?"

Rory didn't answer, she simply took his hand and hold onto to it with everything she had. Logan took it as a signal of trust, she was delegating everything to him because she trusted he know what to do and how to act.

He didn't waste any time, he helped her off the couch, instructed Lorelai to call for a cab while he went looking for the suitcase that had been prepared since the beginning of the third trimester.

The cab ride was smoother than he thought it'd be, the contractions were quite close and definitely painful judging from Rory's squeezes on his hand but they got to the hospital soon enough. As soon as they arrived a nurse promptly admitted her into a room and instructed them to wait for the doctor to come check on them.

Once she was sure her daughter was alright, Lorelai stepped out the room to make a few calls and to give them some privacy since soon enough they would not have any.

Logan was sitting on a chair beside Rory's bed, never letting go of her hand and checking how far along the contractions were on his watch.

"So doctor Huntzberger what's the prognosis? Am I gonna deliver our baby girl in the next two minutes?"

"Look who's in the mood to joke. And I thought we agreed not to call her baby girl anymore, she has a name, you know?"

"I know, I named her", Rory replied with a teasing smile.

Logan pretended to look offended by her sentence, "I named her too, thank you very much."

Rory nodded before saying, "You haven't left this room since we arrived, you need a time out, go stretch your legs and breathe a little fresh air."

Logan was about to protest when she interrupted him, "And before you say anything, mom will keep my company. You don't need to go for that long, just enough so we don't both go crazy waiting for Laurel."

He felt compelled to oblige to her so he got up, kissed her forehead and left the room just as Lorelai was getting in to take his place.

The fresh air didn't do much for him, he was antsy, he was anxious to meet his daughter, he was ready for Rory to feel better, he was ready to begin this new chapter of his life.

He used the time to text his gang and his sister about the birth of his girl and before he could talk himself out of it, he took his phone and composed a very familiar number, it went straight to voice-mail so he left a message.

"Dad, it's Logan. I'm just calling to tell you that in a very little while I'm gonna be a father, it's a girl, Laurel, I just thought you should know, bye."

That phone call was too much to deal with, his day was erratic as he was so he gladly got back inside.

Just as he entered the room the doctor proudly announced that Rory was ready to deliver, he sprung into action immediately: he took his rightful place at Rory's side while Lorelai took her other hand. They both worked together as one:, telling her when to breathe, when to push, wiping the sweat from her forehead, encouraging her to keep going.

Logan felt like days had passed since he entered into the room and Rory started pushing when a loud cry interrupted his thoughts.

His daughter was finally born and her cry was the sweetest sound he had ever heard.

Rory was openly crying now, wanting to hold her daughter in her arms, Lorelai wasn't any less of a mess, she was crying just as much as Rory was and trying to sneak a peek at her granddaughter.

"Would the dad like to do the honors?", the doctor asked him handing him a pair of scissors. Logan barely nodded before snapping the umbilical cord, effectively freeing his daughter into the world before he even got a chance to look at her.

The nurses were quick and efficient: they cleaned up their daughter in minutes and handed her back to her parents.

Rory was eager to get ahold of her, she thrusted her arms forward to receive her baby and she gently brought her to her chest; Logan got closer and finally managed to get a good look at her.

Words failed him, probably because the sight of little Laurel was too much for him to take to even try to put into words.

Where words lacked, feelings abounded: love, joy, pride, devotion, gratitude.

Love for this little baby that had already stolen his heart within moments of being born; joy for his new formed family; pride of what he managed to create with Rory; devotion for someone he already loved so viscerally and gratitude for what life had finally given him.

Rory looked at him and despite the tears in her eyes she was radiating happiness.

"Are you ready to hold her, daddy?"  
He was ready. He had always been ready for her.


End file.
